VR4 Twin Turbo info

They're sea worthy.

 

Welcome to transmission hell.

Oh and give http://www.3si.org a read. There's TONS of info and helpful people in there!

 

There are several things to watch out for if you're buying a VR-4:

If you are in any way related to Colin Chapman you should know the car is an absolute pig. Or boat as shiggins implied.

If you do not work on your car, make sure you can find a repair shop who knows these cars because the dealership is not the place to go for repairs. Here's some good info about the transmissions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3000GT#Transmission_Reliability

If you're tall, make sure you can fit comfortably and if you ever plan on taking it to the track make sure you fit with a helmet.

These would be good things to check with your nephew before he pursues this further.

 

You nephew is asking for trouble getting into that barge of a mitsubishi. I'd have him look elsewhere in the japanese sports car market unless he wants a big heavy pig that is also very fragile.

 

Tell him to get a Evo. The evo is BULLETPROOF, been working on them and owned several of them through the years. The 3000GT is to me the absolute bottom of the barrel of japanese performance cars. If he wants ´sporty´ tell him to look into mr2 turbo´s from 93 and forward.

 

I owned a 98 3000 GT VR4 TT. The car had 44k miles on it, after 2 months of ownership the heads on the car self destructed and the end result was multiple holes in multiple pistons.

The transmission also had some issues. The first quote that comes to mind is "RUN AWAY!" if you don't you may very well be preparing to "bring out your dead. CLANK!"

Over all, if the car is healthy, they are a very strong car, but too heavy for the stock brakes. Also very wallowy in the turns.

I hope this helps.

Cheers!

 

I have a bad to the bone 92 VR4 w a professionally built race engine putting out 650 hp +

I stripped out the interior & she does oversteer a little but she sticks to the road like a leech, I could never spin that thing even if I tried whereas the 512TR spins the moment you are not paying attention

There were lots of parts for them, not sure now. I never had any trans problems but I had to rebuild the transfer case once

STock they are a little piggy but I had Alcon brakes that were simply amazing. I once blew the doors off some NASCAR trucks on the uphill at Watkins Glen w it, They were seriously surprised
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Eagle Talon is to Mitsu Eclipse as Stealth is to 3000gt....Going by that....My Talons transmission exploded out the pan once and Exploded inside the other time! Although I did ride around in a Vr-4 once and 1st gear with roll your eyes back!

 

My best friend had a 95 Stealth TT, it was running 12 flat on the stock turbos and the engine grenaded at the strip. He built the motor and kept it for a few more months and sold it for a Vette. They are heavy, but pretty nice cars. I would recommend getting the 3000GT over the Stealth because Stealth RT body parts are very difficult to find in case of an accident.

I will second the Evo comment, a much better car than the Stealth in my opinion.

 

But not rust proof...

 

They're pretty hefty. Also, they're an absolute a nightmare to work on if you're the DIY type.

 

A buddy of mine owned one a few years ago. He basically said the same thing. Pretty difficult to work on. They are good lookinf though.


Darrell.

 

Does your nephew have any other cars in mind? What budget is he working with?

 

i would def. look in another direction unless money isnt really an issue, or time in the shop, or difficulty in finding parts doesnt bother him

 

The 2nd gen Toyota MR2 turbo that looked like a little Dino was an amazing little car. I'd jump on that or a 3rd Gen Mazda RX7 turbo in a heartbeat.
both are light & fast

 

$10k?

E36 BMW M3
Porsche 944 S2
MR2 Turbo
Miata
300Z (TT pushing the $$?)
Mercedes 190-16 or 190-2.6 5sp
Lexus 300SC 5sp

Bill

 

They really are a pain in the ass to work on. I'm pretty sure that you have to remove the intake manifold just to change the spark plugs on the rear bank. Not only will the Evo be faster at the end of the day, you only have to buy one turbo and one intercooler, etc. If he does really insist on getting one, tell him to avoid the fancy gizmos like All Wheel Steering as all of those made a heavier car that much heavier.

 

I bought my VR4 when I loved at Tahoe bcus I wanted a year round sports car I could drive through the snow. I did 120 mph through a blizzard in my VR4 when everything else would have been spinning donuts in the driveway So I respect the car

That said all the tech on the VR4 does a lot for you. If he wants to learn to drive he should get a car that does nothing for him so he has to learn how to do everything

 

Stealth and VR-4's are AWD.......

under $10k
Japanese = Rx-7 TT
German = M3 or UrM5(my vote)
American = Vette....Chevette
Yugoslavian = Yugo (try and find a GV model....Stands for "great value") haha

 

I don't think he could find an E36M for under 10k but an E30 definitely. Which is a much cooler car anyways.

 

I had a GF in college who had a new VR4 she got for HS graduation.

I have to tell you, the VR4 felt WAAAYYYY too heavy for the power & the breaks. It was a nice car, but I remember thinking that they really missed the mark with that car...It was really nice on the highway, but that is the only nice thing I could say about it.

On the other hand, if it is his dream car, he probably should scratch the itch and get it out of his system now instead of spending the rest of his life wondering "what if"???

 

Some good choices here. I think the M3 might be pushing it if 10,000 is the absolute maximum.

For an all around car the SC300 is tough to beat and it has the 2jz-ge in it, which is a strong N/A motor. MR2 Turbo would be nice, especially in t-top form and is definitely doable for under $10k that would even give you a few thousand for mods. That 3S-GTE is a GREAT motor and great for power. The 300zx is also easily found for under $10k in Twin Turbo format.

It all depends on if he wants a little luxury or just pure performance.

 

Every single E30 thats for sale in his price range has been driven and driven hard over and over and over again. If something should go wrong, and its only a matter of time with E30's, parts and labor will cost him a ton. They're great cars, arguably BMW's best, but not for someone on a tight budget.